Archives for November 2010

Stage and screen veteran Ruby Dee will be among the women honored as part of the Black Girls Rock! Awards, to be presented on October 16 in New York City and shown on BET on November 7.

The other honorees include actresses Keke Palmer and Raven-Symone, singer Missy Elliott, and author Ilyana Vanzant.

Black Girls Rock!, which was founded by DJ Beverly Bond, mentors young black girls and works to combat negative images of black women in the media.

Dee’s Broadway credits include A Raisin in the Sun, Anna Lucasta, Purlie Victorious, andCheckmates. She received Drama Desk Awards for her work in Boesman and Lena and The Wedding Band.

She received an Oscar nomination for American Gangster, and her other films include Do The Right Thing, Buck and the Preacher, and No. 2. She received an Emmy Award for Decoration Day and has been nominated for eight other Emmy Awards.

It was announced months ago that Katherine Jackson, the mother of the late Michael Jackson, would be appearing on Oprah but some are appalled that she allowed his children to appear on the show as well. Michael Jackson never wanted his children in the limelight so I’m sure with the way they’ve been parading Prince, Paris, and Blanket around since his death, he’s not looking down with a smile on his face.

The children were interviewed at the Jackson Encino home in California and the episode will air on November 8th.

President Barack Obama makes a phone call to Rep. John Boehner, who will most likely be the next House Speaker. (AP)

by Tonyaa Weathersbee, BlackAmericaWeb.com

If President Barack Obama had mounted a search for the remnants of the coalition that, just two years ago, propelled him and the Democrats into power, he might have found bits of it scattered at a job fair yesterday in Greensboro, North Carolina.
One brother, who was interviewed by a television station, said he had to make a choice between taking a ride to that jobs fair or to go vote.
The job fair won out.
Obama should take heed. Because no matter what the pundits say, no matter how they spin the results of the first midterm election after two years of rule by the nation’s first black president, what’s clear is this: People always vote their pocketbook.
Or – in the case of this brother – not at all.
In many ways the president, like so many other black firsts, has been held to unrealistic expectations. He inherited the worst recession in more than 20 years, as well as two wars and a ballooning deficit. Add to that an electorate that was grappling with unemployment and economic uncertainty, one that was as nervous about the future as it was hopeful about it.
Obama came along, promising hope and change. He’s accomplished much of that. Among other things, the president has signed laws to allot more money for college grants and made it easier for women to challenge pay discrimination. His Cash for Clunkers program pulled America’s automobile industry from the brink. And he managed to pass the landmark health care law – a law, which puts the United States on the road to universal health care.
Problem is, people are better able to savor such accomplishments if they aren’t preoccupied with finding or keeping a job. And for much of the coalition that put Obama over the top two years ago – a coalition that included blacks like the job-hunting brother, young people, Latinos and progressives – jobs is their main motivator.
But not a lot has happened for them there.
So the challenge for Obama, beginning today, is to find a way to re-energize the coalition that brought him to power. He’s going to have to tap into their hopes again, first by making jobs a priority, and then immigration reform, and so on.
Of course, that will be a lot more difficult now. The attacks of Tea Party wingnuts, Republican obstructionists and Fox News – attacks designed to exploit the uncertainty of the electorate through planting doubts that maybe, just maybe, the black guy doesn’t have the stuff needed to run this country – have taken their toll. He’s going to have to deal with a Congress led by people more committed to destroying him than uplifting the nation.
But even if they try to obstruct Obama in creating jobs, if he’s at least seen as being heavily invested in that grassroots issue, and not aloof and more wrapped up in high ideas than in common issues, that will go along way toward helping him piece his coalition back together.
That coalition, in fact, could counteract the Tea Party simply by being energized by solutions – and by isolating the Republicans, who are powered more by their hatred for Obama than their ideas for improving the country.
So there’s a lesson for the president today, as outlined by the brother in North Carolina who spent Election Day looking for a job. He must get back to work on putting people first. Somehow, he must make that his centerpiece and take charge of defining the debate that will invariably surround it.
While what Obama has done so far is historical and important, it wasn’t enough to get enough young people or black people or Latino people out to vote for the people who would help him continue to do that. And it’s not that they no longer believe in hope and change.
It’s just that hope and change goes better alongside a hefty serving of jobs.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick bucked the anti-incumbent, pro-Republican trend and won a second term Tuesday with the help of some of the political advisers who hope to do the same in two years for his friend President Barack Obama.

Patrick, a black Democrat with a gold-plated resume similar to Obama’s, defeated Republican Charles Baker, a former health care executive making his first bid for office. Among the first to place congratulatory calls was the president himself, the White House said.

With 91 percent of the state’s precincts reporting, Patrick had 49 percent to Baker’s 42 percent. Independent Timothy Cahill was in third place with 8 percent.

“Tonight, Massachusetts chose to look up and forward, not down and to the past,” the governor told a crowd that greeted him with chants of “four more years.”

Baker urged his supporters to “get behind the governor and do all that we can to make sure that he succeeds in pulling our economy out of the doldrums and getting it back on the right track.”

The Republican Governors Association, fearing Cahill would play spoiler, and hoping to knock off the president’s fellow Chicagoan and Harvard Law graduate, spent millions on ads attacking not just Patrick but Cahill. The state treasurer bolted the Democratic Party last year and appealed to the same fiscally conservative voters Baker targeted.

Baker attacked Patrick for eight tax hikes — including a 25 percent increase in the state sales tax — and a projected $2 billion deficit. Patrick countered by citing investments in health care, public education and emerging industries such as clean energy and life sciences.

Patrick, a 53-year-old married father of two daughters, rose from childhood poverty, attended Massachusetts’ prestigious Milton Academy, Harvard College and Harvard Law on scholarship, and served in the Clinton administration Justice Department.

After a corporate law career, he made his first bid for elective office in 2006 with the help of Chicago political consultants David Axelrod and David Plouffe, who would go on to run Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Patrick’s campaign slogan of “Together We Can” presaged Obama’s talk of “Hope.”

After a rocky start triggered by an expensive office redecoration and pricey upgrade to a Cadillac for his official transportation, Patrick settled into the governor’s job but found himself coping with the national recession. A reluctant cost-cutter, he nonetheless trimmed over $4 billion in state spending and worked with a Democratic Legislature to deliver four on-time budgets.

In seeking re-election, Patrick cast his campaign not as a quest for personal accomplishment, but as repayment for his free education.

“I’m grateful, and all I’m trying to do is give back the same better chance that I got,” he said.

Baker gave up a nearly $2 million salary at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to run for Patrick’s $140,000-a-year job as governor. Cahill had to withstand twin embarrassments: His campaign manager and two other senior advisers quit in late September, followed a week later by his running mate, Paul Loscocco.

Republican candidate for South Carolina governor Nikki Haley gives a thumbs up as she leaves a polling place after voting Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010, in Lexington, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

by JESSE WASHINGTON, AP National Writer Jesse Washington, Ap National Writer
WASHINGTON – The Republican wave produced groundbreaking results for minority candidates, from Latina and Indian-American governors to a pair of black congressmen from the Deep South.
In New Mexico, Susana Martinez was elected as the nation’s first female Hispanic governor. Nikki Haley, whose parents were born in India, will be the first woman governor in South Carolina, and Brian Sandoval became Nevada’s first Hispanic governor.
Insurance company owner Tim Scott will be the first black Republican congressman from South Carolina since Reconstruction, after easily winning in his conservative district. Scott, a 45-year-old state representative, earned a primary victory over the son of the one-time segregationist U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond.
In Florida, veteran Allen West ousted a two-term Democrat to a House seat. He is the first black Republican elected to Congress from Florida since a former slave served two terms in the 1870s.
The last black Republican in Congress was J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. He left office in 2003. There were 42 black Democrats in Congress this term.
Latino Republicans defeated incumbent House Democrats. In Texas, Francisco Canseco beat Rep. Ciro Rodriguez. Jamie Herrera became the first Latino congressman from Washington state.
Opposition to President Barack Obama’s agenda fueled Tuesday’s GOP surge, and many also connected Obama to the rise of minority GOP candidates.
“Color is becoming less of an issue,” said Richard Ivory, a black Republican political consultant and founder of hiphoprepublican.com. “There was a time when the white electorate saw race first and made judgments based on this alone. While black Republicans and Obama disagree ideologically, both are candidates whose message surpassed pigment.”
Mark Sawyer, a UCLA professor and director of the university’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, said Obama’s election pushed the GOP to adjust to a more diverse electorate by seeking out minority candidates.
But he noted that almost all the victorious GOP minorities were elected in majority-white areas and opposed measures such as comprehensive immigration reform that are favored by many Latinos and blacks.
“This election does not show a substantive embrace of a minority agenda,” Sawyer said.
Fourteen black Republicans were on House ballots nationwide, almost double the number in 2008. The largest number of black Republicans in Congress since Reconstruction has been two: Watts and Gary Franks of Connecticut, who left office in 1997.
On the Democratic side, Terri Sewell became the first black woman elected to Congress in Alabama.
Haley, who was backed by the tea party and Sarah Palin, is a 38-year-old state representative who was projected to win easily in conservative South Carolina. She faced unproven accusations of infidelity and questions about her finances and experience. State Sen. Vincent Sheheen made the race closer than anyone expected. She is the nation’s second Indian-American governor, after Bobby Jindal in Louisiana.
Marco Rubio, a Republican and Cuban-American, won a Senate seat in Florida. He will replace the retiring Mel Martinez, another conservative Cuban. Also in Florida, Rubio ally David Rivera, a state representative, held off a fellow Cuban-American, Democrat Joe Garcia, a former Obama administration energy official, for an open House seat.
Jean Howard-Hill, a black Republican who lost a House primary in Tennessee, was cautiously optimistic about the future of minorities in her party.
“We’re going to jump up and down because we have two African-Americans going to Congress?” she said. “There are still opportunities for advancement. But I think we have a good platform to do that now.”

Those portrait images, besides being shown in a Manhattan gallery, are also part of the movie’s promotional poster campaign and trailer and have been circulating online for the past several weeks.

Now Lionsgate has teamed up with Augme Technologies for a mobile marketing campaign that enables Smartphone users to view the “For Colored Girls” movie trailer, the “Living Portraits” gallery cast members, a film synopsis, cast and crew information and a text reminder for the Nov. 5 release date, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Lionsgate going the extra mile for Perry’s latest movie follows the filmmaker’s nine previous theatrical releases by Lionsgate since “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” in 2005 grossing nearly $481 million at the North American box office.

Tyler Perry wrote and directed the movie adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s classic play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf.” Perry, Paul Hall and Roger M. Bobb produced the film.

Lionsgate will also release Perry’s “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” the adaptation of the popular play, on April 22, 2011.

GREEN BAY – Never has one person affected the NFL in the way that Brett Favre has. The NFL’s “second” commissioner is the topic of discussion 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I call him the second commissioner because he is the only player who can cry on TV while announcing his retirement, change his mind and want to challenge Aaron Rodgers for the quarterback job, which general manager Ted Thompson refused to allow.

Favre got the itch to play again when he didn’t file his retirement papers with the NFL. I thought that once you retired from your job, there was no coming back.

We know the story well. After Favre left the New York Jets, he didn’t know if he wanted to play again. That is, until he wanted to play for Minnesota. The Vikings were so desperate to have Favre on the team that they went down to Mississippi to pick him up last year. And it took an eleventh hour effort to drag Favre back up north this year, for his last – at least that what he says for now – season.

I know that Favre and the Vikings wanted to focus on the game against Green Bay at Lambeau Field, Oct. 24, but how could he when he’s facing allegations from a woman of sending photos from his cell phone while he was with the Jets in 2008 when she worked for the team?

Favre admitted leaving voicemails on Jenn Sterger’s phone but not pictures from his phone. Yeah, right! She hasn’t come forward to give her side of the story yet. By the way, no one dared asked Favre questions about the incident in his postgame press conference.

Commissioner Roger Goodell sent NFL security to Vikings’ headquarters recently to talk to the three-time MVP. It was much to do about nothing. As the old saying goes, “no harm, no foul.” I think that Favre has the commissioner in his back pocket.

As you would expect, most of the fans booed Favre when he came out on the field at 6:40 p.m. for the 7:20 p.m. nationally televised game by NBC. The future Hall Of Famer also has Randy Moss on his side.

Favre lobbied for Moss to come to Green Bay when Moss was a free agent. They’re finally together. However, it was about whether Favre would dominate the Packers again like he did twice in 2009, or if Aaron Rodgers would finally get the upper hand.

The Packers struck first with running back Brandon Jackson’s plunge into the end zone. Then Minnesota’s Percy Harvin ran through the middle to the end zone untouched to tie the score.

Green Bay scored again with rookie tight end Andrew Quarless’ catch in the end zone. A 14-7 game at that point in the second quarter was headed toward a shootout between Favre, who once ran the Packers’ offense, and Rodgers, who held the clipboard as Favre’s rookie understudy.

Harvin stretched the ball across the pylon for what appeared to be his second touchdown. That was subject to a review after Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy threw the red flag. The officials were looking to see if Harvin’s right foot was out of bounds before he crossed the plane. It was. The ball was at the Green Bay 1-yard line. Adrian Peterson’s TD tied the game at 14. I guess that was the kind of game the fans and the league wanted to see – more scoring.

The scoring in the second half continued. Two of Favre’s three interceptions led to an offensive touchdown by Green Bay receiver Greg Jennings and a runback to the end zone on defense by Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop. That turned a 17-14 deficit into a 28-17 lead.

Favre quickly made up for his mistake with a TD pass to Moss that cut the Packer lead to 28-24. We definitely had a shootout at the OK corral. Favre and Minnesota ran out of miracles in the end and lost by four points.

The Vikings had a legitimate argument on a score that should’ve counted. A touchdown was taken away on a reverse challenge after it was ruled that tight end Visanthe Shaiancoe dropped the ball on the ground as he tried to trap it in the end zone.

“I personally believe I had possession,” Shiancoe said. “I talked to the referee, and he told me that if it was further up in my hands, it would have been a touchdown.”

Minnesota coach Brad Childress was also disappointed. “I must not understand a catch in the end zone for them to take Shiancoe’s off the board,” he said.

“That’s not the way it’s taught. That’s not the way we’re told. That goes back to the Tampa Bay game that (former Buccaneer coach) Tony (Dungy) coached years ago. You control the ball, and it doesn’t make any difference if you control it in your hand or forearm, period. That’s wrong, that’s wrong.”

Favre said he took the loss against the Packers very hard. “I take a lot of pride and ownership in all phases of the game,” he said. “You have the ball in your hand and you hope to win these. You just feel like you let everybody down.”

About the only thing that hurts Favre besides his desire to stick it to Thompson and the Packers again was his left ankle, which happened on the first interception to A.J. Hawk in the third quarter.

Favre might not be 100% for the game against New England this weekend, but Green Bay fans don’t care if he plays or not. This moment belonged to Packer Nation.

“It means we’re 2-1 in the division (4-3 overall),” McCarthy said. “This is going to come down to the division games, in my opinion.”

Said Rodgers: “It’s a big win for us. I think with the way we were playing the last three games, it was important to come out here and have a better performance. Other than my careless turnovers (two interceptions), I think we moved the ball effectively.”

GREEN BAY – Never has one person affected the NFL in the way that Brett Favre has. The NFL’s “second” commissioner is the topic of discussion 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I call him the second commissioner because he is the only player who can cry on TV while announcing his retirement, change his mind and want to challenge Aaron Rodgers for the quarterback job, which general manager Ted Thompson refused to allow.

Favre got the itch to play again when he didn’t file his retirement papers with the NFL. I thought that once you retired from your job, there was no coming back.

We know the story well. After Favre left the New York Jets, he didn’t know if he wanted to play again. That is, until he wanted to play for Minnesota. The Vikings were so desperate to have Favre on the team that they went down to Mississippi to pick him up last year. And it took an eleventh hour effort to drag Favre back up north this year, for his last – at least that what he says for now – season.

I know that Favre and the Vikings wanted to focus on the game against Green Bay at Lambeau Field, Oct. 24, but how could he when he’s facing allegations from a woman of sending photos from his cell phone while he was with the Jets in 2008 when she worked for the team?

Favre admitted leaving voicemails on Jenn Sterger’s phone but not pictures from his phone. Yeah, right! She hasn’t come forward to give her side of the story yet. By the way, no one dared asked Favre questions about the incident in his postgame press conference.

Commissioner Roger Goodell sent NFL security to Vikings’ headquarters recently to talk to the three-time MVP. It was much to do about nothing. As the old saying goes, “no harm, no foul.” I think that Favre has the commissioner in his back pocket.

As you would expect, most of the fans booed Favre when he came out on the field at 6:40 p.m. for the 7:20 p.m. nationally televised game by NBC. The future Hall Of Famer also has Randy Moss on his side.

Favre lobbied for Moss to come to Green Bay when Moss was a free agent. They’re finally together. However, it was about whether Favre would dominate the Packers again like he did twice in 2009, or if Aaron Rodgers would finally get the upper hand.

The Packers struck first with running back Brandon Jackson’s plunge into the end zone. Then Minnesota’s Percy Harvin ran through the middle to the end zone untouched to tie the score.

Green Bay scored again with rookie tight end Andrew Quarless’ catch in the end zone. A 14-7 game at that point in the second quarter was headed toward a shootout between Favre, who once ran the Packers’ offense, and Rodgers, who held the clipboard as Favre’s rookie understudy.

Harvin stretched the ball across the pylon for what appeared to be his second touchdown. That was subject to a review after Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy threw the red flag. The officials were looking to see if Harvin’s right foot was out of bounds before he crossed the plane. It was. The ball was at the Green Bay 1-yard line. Adrian Peterson’s TD tied the game at 14. I guess that was the kind of game the fans and the league wanted to see – more scoring.

The scoring in the second half continued. Two of Favre’s three interceptions led to an offensive touchdown by Green Bay receiver Greg Jennings and a runback to the end zone on defense by Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop. That turned a 17-14 deficit into a 28-17 lead.

Favre quickly made up for his mistake with a TD pass to Moss that cut the Packer lead to 28-24. We definitely had a shootout at the OK corral. Favre and Minnesota ran out of miracles in the end and lost by four points.

The Vikings had a legitimate argument on a score that should’ve counted. A touchdown was taken away on a reverse challenge after it was ruled that tight end Visanthe Shaiancoe dropped the ball on the ground as he tried to trap it in the end zone.

“I personally believe I had possession,” Shiancoe said. “I talked to the referee, and he told me that if it was further up in my hands, it would have been a touchdown.”

Minnesota coach Brad Childress was also disappointed. “I must not understand a catch in the end zone for them to take Shiancoe’s off the board,” he said.

“That’s not the way it’s taught. That’s not the way we’re told. That goes back to the Tampa Bay game that (former Buccaneer coach) Tony (Dungy) coached years ago. You control the ball, and it doesn’t make any difference if you control it in your hand or forearm, period. That’s wrong, that’s wrong.”

Favre said he took the loss against the Packers very hard. “I take a lot of pride and ownership in all phases of the game,” he said. “You have the ball in your hand and you hope to win these. You just feel like you let everybody down.”

About the only thing that hurts Favre besides his desire to stick it to Thompson and the Packers again was his left ankle, which happened on the first interception to A.J. Hawk in the third quarter.

Favre might not be 100% for the game against New England this weekend, but Green Bay fans don’t care if he plays or not. This moment belonged to Packer Nation.

“It means we’re 2-1 in the division (4-3 overall),” McCarthy said. “This is going to come down to the division games, in my opinion.”

Said Rodgers: “It’s a big win for us. I think with the way we were playing the last three games, it was important to come out here and have a better performance. Other than my careless turnovers (two interceptions), I think we moved the ball effectively.”

When the Milwaukee Bucks were treated like any other NBA road team and served the equivalent of chopped liver in their first two games away from home, the fans welcomed them back for some home cooking.

In one game they could’ve had won and another in which a former Buck stuck it to them, the home opener at the Bradley Center last Saturday was perfect timing.

We didn’t know what to expect from the Bucks in the first two games. They are the talk of the town, and some media have them winning the Central Division.

It’s too bad that the games aren’t played on paper. The Bucks had a chance to win their opening game at New Orleans against the Hornets, Oct. 27, but came up short on a 95-91 loss. Two days later, at Minnesota, ex-Buck Luke Ridnour helped the Timberwolves defeat the Bucks, 96-85, Oct. 29.

So with the team down 0-2 and playing against another 0-2 team in the Charlotte Bobcats, I knew that either team would walk out of the BC with their first victory.

What I noticed about the Bucks’ home opener was the playoff-type atmosphere in the building. The place was loud. We’ll see how many pro-Buck fans are there are when the heavyweights like Miami, Orlando, the L.A. Lakers and Boston come to town.

I liked that the team kept the “Work Hard, Play Hard” slogan. It represents the blue-collar work ethic we have in this city that suggests nothing is handed to you. If you want something, you have to earn it.

During the game, I kept looking at two things: the new scoreboard, which looked like a high definition screen, and Bobcats coach Larry Brown. By the way, there was no sign of Michael Jordan, who’s the majority owner of the team, in the building.

Brown has been coaching forever, since before I was born. He might coach until he’s 80 years old. Maybe he ignored the doctor’s orders to slow down, but why would he? He would get bored. His players know where he stands, and if they don’t like it, he’ll help them get out of dodge. MJ will back Brown up, because, you know, they’re part of the “Carolina” family, which include those who played or coached under legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith.

Bucks head coach Scott Skiles started four of his players from last year (Andrew Bogut, Brandon Jennings, John Salmons, Carlos Delfino) and forward Drew Gooden. After playing almost the first four minutes of the first quarter, Gooden was substituted for forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. He sat until the 10 minute 16 second mark of the second quarter.

Milwaukee needed more defense on the court, and we got tired of seeing Charlotte running up and down the court. For a moment, I couldn’t believe that the Bobcats, whose starters averaged 28.6 years of age, outran the younger Bucks. Their starting five averaged 26.5 years.

It’s one thing for the Bucks to have a deep roster and another for all the players that were acquired over the summer to learn the system. Even though Mbah a Moute didn’t start, he got more minutes at the power forward position (35) than Gooden (13). It’s about which players on the court that Skiles is comfortable with at that time.

“(Mbah a Moute) comes in with his defensive presence,” Skiles said. “He knows everything we’re trying to do. Obviously, we still have some kinks to work out because we have half a new team, but he knows everything we’re trying to do.”

Many of the fans wore costumes to the game, which seemed to disguise the Bucks and their 46-36 record from last season. If the expectations are higher this season, this team will have to take off the mask and show who they really are.

Jennings isn’t showing the sophomore jinx yet. He has more weapons on the team, so taking over a game isn’t always necessary. But just in case the need arises, he’ll do it.

What stood out in Jennings’ game against the Bobcats were his ball distribution, rebounding and scoring, which all added up to his first career triple-double. He had 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Delfino led the team with 23 points.

“Keyon (Dooling) had told me when I came out in the fourth quarter that I was one (assist) shy away,” Jennings said. “I was still trying to win the game. I said, ‘Hey, if it happens, it happens.’

“I remember last year (in Philadelphia) when I had 17 (points), nine (rebounds) and nine (assists). Man, I forgot is name already, Dan Gadzuric. He took the rebound from me and then he missed the layup on the other end. That’s why I came up short a little bit last year.”

If Jennings forgot who some of his teammates were from last year, it’ll take him a while to get used to all the new faces on the team this year.

One player from last year that was missing in action was forward Ersan Ilyasova. He played some good ball over the summer in helping his country of Turkey win a medal in the FIBA World Championships. Over in the States, however, he played the last 58 seconds of the home opener. It’s really not a punishment for Ilyasova, according to Skiles, and he’s not in the doghouse. The 6-foot-10 player is going through a shooting slump right now. The Bucks got their first win with a 98-88 final, Jennings got his trifecta and the fans left the BC happy.

If African American voters do not get up and get out and vote on Tuesday November, 2 we will be left with a decision that will cost our community dearly. It is not enough to sit back and be proud on how record voters turned out for President Obama in 2008. If President Obama has any chance of continuing an agenda that stopped a “Great Depression”, then African American voters needed to show up and show out in record numbers again and keep the Senate seats, Congressional seats, and yes the Governor’s office need to remain in the hands of Democrats.

We cannot afford to suffer from the “Amnesia” that many Americans seem to be suffering from these days. How do you let the people who whole heartily, and single handily threw this nation into two wars, and left this country in a desperate economic state after they were left trillions in surplus by an outgoing Democratic Administration convince us that they deserve another shot at bringing us out of this hole?

The Republicans, the Tea Party and all the other Obama haters are quite arrogant and bold, because they really believe that Black people are going to stay home and not exercise their right to vote. They have tried the same old tricks…voter fraud intimidation, false and misleading mailings, and many of the same old slogans that are distortions and out and out lies.

They haven’t even engaged the African American voter in this election process. Scott Walker tried a last minute desperate move in convincing former Milwaukee Mayor Marvin Pratt to parade him around town recently surprising several Church goers, and announcing his endorsement of Walker. This move was desperate and sad, but they believe that the African American voter is that easy…it is up to you to prove how ridiculous that move was by casting your vote for Barrett.

Senator Feingold and Mayor Barrett have engaged the African American voter from the beginning of their campaigns. Another last minute move for Walker, he appeared by telephone on WMCS 1290 earlier this week and spoke to Earl Ingram. He did his same song and dodge dance, eluded hard questions with the same campaign slogans. His promise to create 250,000 jobs if he is elected governor. How Scott? Where is his record on creating 250 jobs for Milwaukee County? A county where privatization took away hundreds of family income supported jobs. During the primary debates with Mark Neumann his proudly proclaimed that he would take money away from Badger- Care. After negative public reaction, his has changed his mind. A common occurrence for Walker, he has changed his mind so many times according to the audience that he is speaking in front of, it will give you make you dizzy trying to keep track.

And what about these republican influenced polls? The Rasmussen Report, how many African American voters have been polled by this poll system? It was recently reported that the president of Rasmussen Reports, Scott Rasmussen is taking a cruise with Karl Rove and other conservative luminaries just after the November elections. These polls typically give Republicans a 6-point boost over other polls.

Forget the polls, African American voters have the power to make the difference in this election…Get up and get out and vote like your life depends on it, because it does.